October 2016

In this issue

I like a variety of sports and activities, from curling to cycling to skiing to dancing and singing. Ultimately it comes back to balance and making sure you’re healthy in life: mentally fit and physically fit.
I began curling in high school with my dad and brothers in Osoyoos. In a small town, it can be quiet in the winter. There’s lots...

If Phoenix didn’t invent the freeway, it certainly perfected it. Deplaning at Sky Harbour airport, I’m faced with myriad multi-lane options spreading like a circulatory system to carry me into town. But unlike most visitors, who make a beeline for the rental counter to sign up for the unlimited miles option, I’m doing what was not too long ago considered...

What will be the spark of the Great Robot Rebellion that will end the era of human rule on our planet? Here’s a theory: the robots will become disgruntled with minimum wage. That’s the job level they are poised to flood, taking over more and more tasks in the service industry. And if the robots don’t end up happy about...

10% That’s roughly how much of Canada’s sugar production is created at the 13.5-acre Rogers sugar refinery complex on Vancouver’s waterfront—so when you sneak a treat this month from your Halloween cache, consider that the sweetness in those foil-wrapped chocolate eyeballs or spooky jelly worms may have originated close to home. The refinery—recognizable by the gothic-looking warehouse near the Ironworkers...

The Headhunters has candidates fill out a personality profile to assess work style—for example, leaders versus followers. “You don’t necessarily want everybody as a leader or it makes for a bit of a dysfunctional team,” says Macmillan. Hays looks at where candidates fit in four categories: conformity, social behaviour, team versus individual, and work ethic. For example, says Fearon, do...

She may have a reputation for tackling some of the most significant infrastructure projects in the province, but Jane Bird believes she’s an even greater heavy-metal fan than her peers actually realize.
Bird—a lawyer by training—is the former CEO of Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc., overseeing construction of the $2-billion line from downtown Vancouver to the airport (2001-09); she also led...

Peter Ducommun is not sure that he’s the best subject for a business magazine feature. “To tell you the truth, we’re kind of anti-business here,” says the 53-year-old owner of Skull Skates, Canada’s oldest skateboard company. For Ducommun, or PD as everyone calls him, being a business owner has been a way to indulge his passion—something he’s been doing since...

There probably aren’t many business people out there who haven’t rolled their eyes at least once reading about tech industry employee perks. It seemed there for a while that no startup could dream of attracting talent without a mechanical bull or an indoor tree house. Maybe the clearest indication that there was a bubble forming was when nap pods were...

In June, the University of Calgary fell victim to a cyberattack, in which its email server was encrypted and millions of files were locked. An unknown person or organization demanded $20,000 ransom, and the university paid up. There were 1,800 faculty involved in the breach, facing the potential loss of valuable research. According to one Vancouver security expert, the university’s...

This is actually happening in major cities across North America: hundreds of people rise at 5 a.m., dress up in gold-sequined suits, sheep costumes or workout clothes, show up at a designated church or touring boat, and party until 10 a.m. It’s a morning rave—and, according to Drew Magary in the August 2015 issue of GQ, it’s A Thing: “There...